D.C. reduces fines for speed cams

WASHINGTON – The penalty for being a lead foot gets a little lighter, starting Monday.

Many speeding tickets issued by cameras in the District will be $25 cheaper.

Fines for driving 11 mph to 15 mph over the speed limit will drop from $125 to $100, while fines for drivers traveling 1 mph to 10 mph over the speed limit will drop from $75 to $50.

The biggest offenders, however, will actually see more expensive tickets. The fine for blowing past a camera at 25 mph or more goes from $250 to $300.

“We want to strike a balance between what is reasonable in terms of the fines but also being able to continue to have an inducement to make sure that people observe our traffic laws,” said Mayor Vince Gray, speaking on WTOP’s Ask the Chief.

Gray defends the use of speed cameras in general and dismisses any suggestion of a money grab.

“This is not an approach to raise money,” he says. “It’s an approach to be able to get people to slow down.”

The changes are implemented as regulations through the Department of Motor Vehicles, which the mayor’s office says allows the fines to take effect quickly.

Though the fines are changing, Gray says there are currently no plans to add additional speed cameras right now.